Garment counter



Sept. 24, 1929. J. x voEHRlNGER, '.J., er AL 1,729,497

GARHENT COUNTER Filed Marohf8, 1928 Wi.; l @aa/40%.

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 24, 1929 UNITED STATES .PATENT GFFICE JOHN K. VOEHRINGER, JR., AND ROBERT AUBREY GIBBS, JR., OF GREENSBRO, NORTH CAROLNA GAEMENT Application filed March 87 This invention relates to a counting device, and particularly to an improved garment counting device, the object being to provide a. construction which will receive garments and hold the same in a given position., the structure functioning to count the garments as they are placed in the device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment counter for stockings or other garments, wherein counting mechanism is automatically operated as the garments are placed in a holder which is automatically closed when a predetermined number of garments has been placed therein, thus insuring an accurate count at all times.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a garment counting device which will function to count garments when placed in the device. and which will function to reset the counting mechanism when the garments are removed from the device.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a front view of a garment counter, disclosingV an embodiment of the invention. certain parts being broken away for illustrating part of the counting mechanism.

Figure 2 is an edge view of the counter shown in Figure l, certain parts being broken away for illustrating in side elevation certain of the counting mechanism.

Figure 3 is an elevation of the upper part of the structure shown in Figure l with the front plate and associated parts removed.

Figure 4t is a fragmentary view of certain of the parts shown in Figure 3, but with said parts in a different position.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure il, but with the parts in a different position indicating the action when the counting mechanism is released.

Figure 6 is a detail fragmentary sectional view through Figure 2 on line 6 6.

Referring to the accompanying drawing by numerals, 1 indicates a shank which is shown as bifurcated at'2. A suitable clamping screw 3 is provided whereby the bifurcated portion 2 may be clamped to a support of any kind. Shank 1 merges into a fork structure formed by tines 4 and 5. These tines are preferably parallel for part of the COUNTER 1928. Serial Nc. 260 036.

rdistance and then flared at the upper end. lne Aflared end G of tine 5 is formed with a pair of spaced flanges having a runway 8 therebetween. The runway or groove 8 accommodates the free end of the counting lever 9 which must pass through the groove and to a position near the tine 4, as each garment is placed between the tines and is caused to rest on the supporting surface 10 or upon garments already placed on this surface. After each garment has been placed in position, a. counting lever 9 automatic-ally resumes the position shown in full lines in Figure 9 so that it must be depressed a second time for a second garment and so on for as many garments as the device will hold, or for as many times as the device is set to receive.

Lever 9 is connected with suitable counting mechanism carried by the tine t, and this counting mechanism is caused to function upon each downward movement of the lever 9, said functioning not taking place until .fter the free end of lever 9 has passed out of the groove 8, thus allowing a little free movement. After the desired number of garn'ients has been insertedfthe lever 9 as hereinafter fully described, is locked against being depressed but may be unlocked by moving the same upwardly. to the upper dotted position shown in Figure 2. This upward niovenient usually caused by bodily removing all of the garments between the tines i and 5. soon as the garments have been moved out from between the tines or holding structi'lre, lever 9 will automatically resume the position shown in Figure 2. Preterably the tine iis provided with an integral upstanding flange structure 11 which is adapted to be covered by plate 12, whereby a chamber 13 is presented. Plate 12 is provided with a window 14 through which the various numbers 15 on the dial 1G may be seen as they move past. The plate l2 is also provided with n arc-shaped slot 17 through which the sp? arm 18 ot the ball 19 extends. he ball 19 act-s as a striker for striking the bell Q0 to produce a sound upon the insertion of each garment. Bell 20 is also sounded when i th rments are removed. A shaft 2l n.12 all oi is screwed into or otherwise rigidly secured to the Yine l and extends outwardly therefrom through certain parts including the dial plate 1G and the cover 12. This shaft i.; threaded so that the nut 22 will act to clan i the plate 12 in position, and also act to hold the other parts in position. 'llhe bell 2O is secured in any desired manner to the outer end oit the shaft so that as the device is operated, ball 19 may strik the bell from time to time. A ratchet wheel 23 is rotatably mounted on the shalt 2l near the point it is secured to the tine l. Preferably integral with the ratchet wheel 23 is a disk 2% provided with a notch or aperture 25 and a. notch 26. 'lhe aperture 25 is really a. hole which eX- tends through the disk 2 but not neces, .rily through the ratch t wheel 23, thong-rh 11' it should be formed so as to extend through the ratchet wheel 23 there would be no objection. There is one tooth on ratchet wheel H3 i'or each ot the numbers 15, and in a specilic device there may be twenty-tour numbers 15 so that twenty-four articles may he counted by the device. H a less number of articles are to be counted, ratchet wheel 28 and disk 24 are removed and a new ratchet wheel and disk provided, the new ratchet wheel having' a different number of teeth, though the new disk 2-1 will be provided with the aperture 25 and the notch 26 in the same manner. spring actuated pawl 27 is provided Ylor preventing' areverse movement of the ratchet wheel 23, while a reciprocating pawl 28 is provided with a tooth. 29 adapted to engage the teeth of wheel 23 for intermittently moving' wheel The pawl 28 is pivotally mounted on lever 9 at point 8O and lever 9 in turn is pivotally mounted on the tine l at 81. In this way, whenever the lever 9 is swung):` in either direction, pawl 28 will be correspondinely moved.

A retractile spring` 32 is connected to the arm 38 oi pawl 28, and is also connected at to the locking lever 35. This locking lever is provided with a lug 36 adapted to snap into the notch 26 when said notch comes opposite the lug'. The locking lever 35 is pivotally mounted at 37 on the enlargement 88 et the tine d, said enlargement with flange 11 and associated parts *forming the chamber 18. Preferably lever provided with a pin 35 which extends into the enlargement 38 and also with a short arm 39 which adapted to receive the screw -l-O which secures the spring 18 to arm 39, whereby this spring; will swing with lever ly reason of this structure, when the parts are swung' to the position shown in Figure 5 and then released` spring 18 will cause the ball 19 to strike bell 20. This is done each time the counted garments have been moved upwardly and out ot the holder formed by tines -l and 5. lVhere twenty-four articles to he counted, dial 16 is provided with twenty-'tour numerals 15,

ment 38 and at 811 to the lever 35 so as to tend 'to hold the lever against the perijkihery ol' the disk 2l and to cause tl e lever to more ilfor forcing lugv 3G into notch 2G whenerer possible. in this way, a person counting' stockings or other garments, may pass the garments individually or in pairs., into the Ylorked helder lformed by the tines l and 5, and the artic es will be automatically counted. Not only will the articles be automatically counted, but the holder will be closed against the insertion ot more than the correct number as lever 9 will be locked against douuiwm'd movement as soon as the lug' 8G enters notch 26.

."2 eother advantage in the construction and arrangement oil the parts descril'ied, is that as soon as the counted articles have been renioved, the parts are automatically reset so iat a. workin an need only to place articles in oe holder an d remove the same and the countun' operation will automatically follow with- `out any adjustment or resetting by the operator. As the lever 9 functions during the counting operation, it will raise the pawl 28 longitudinally upwardly against the action of spring;` When the lever 9 is moved upwardly to the upper dotted position. shown in Figure 2, pawl 28 will be moved downwardly an extra long' distance against the action of spring i-1. During the downward movement nuclei' these circumstances, the lower end ol the pawl will strike the lever 35 and depress the same as shown in Figure 5.

`Preferably the lower end ot pawl 38 is provided with an enlargement d3 extending substantially at right angles to the general direction oi the pawl, whereby lever 35 will alivays be engaged and swung' as shown in Figure 5 when the pa wl is moved downwardly as just described.. Vhen this action takes place, the tooth 29 engages one olf the teeth ol the ratchet wheel 23, and as the pawl moves upwardly, it will rotate the ratchet wheel -3 and disk 2l the distance ol? one tooth before level' 35 can resun'ie its former position and, consequently, as lever 35 swings backward toward its former position, lug 3G will strike the periphery of disk 2l at one side of notch 2li. This will produce an unlock ad condition and permit the counting' level' 9 to function as described.

lilh at we claim is:

1. A garment counter, comprising a forked holder' adapted to receive garments and support the same, lever pivotally mounted on one oft the forks of said holder, said lever ex- Cil tending across to the opposite fork whereby each garment forced into the fork will actuate said lever in one direction, counting mechanism operatively connected with said lever and caused to function each time said lever is actuated by the movement of an article into said forked support, means for locking said counting mechanism in said lever against functioning after said lever has been actuated a certain number of times, and means operated by a movement of said lever in the opposite direction for unlocking said counting mechanism.

2. A counter' for stockings and other garments, comprising a holder provided with an entrance opening, a counting lever pivotally mounted in said holder and extending across said entrance opening whereby the articles as they are forced through said entrance opening will swing said lever in one direction, means forming a guiding path for the free end of said counting lever, a counting mechanism operatively connected with the opposite end of said lever, said counting mechanism functioning each time said lever is swung on its pivotal support, means for automatically locking said counting mechanism after the same has functioned to a predetermined eXtent, and means actuated by said counting lever for unlocking said locking means.

3. A. garment counter, comprising a forked structure adapted to receive garments, a counting lever pivotally mounted so as to eX- tend across the open end of said forked structure whereby garments placed in the forked structure will swing the counting lever, means forming counting mechanism, said means being operated by said counting member, a locking lever for locking said counting mechanism after it has moved a certain number of times, and means for moving said locking lever out of functioning position, said means being connected with said counting lever and caused to function when said counting lever has been moved in a reverse direction.

e. A garment counter, comprising a holder for ireceiving garments, a lever pivotally mounted and positioned to extend across the opening in said holder whereby the lever is moved upon the insertion of. each garment, a pawl moved in one direction by said lever, spring means for moving the pawl and lever back to their first position, a ratchet wheel moved by said pawl, a looking structure for locking said ratchet wheel against functioning after the same has been moved a certain distance, and a projection carried by said pawl adapted to engage said locking structure for moving the same to an inoperative position, when said pawl and said counting lever have been moved a predetermined distance in a reverse direction.

5. In a garment counter, a counting lever, a pawl moved by the counting lever in one direction, a spring for moving the pawl and counting lever in the opposite direction, a ratchet wheel adapted to be moved a certain distance upon each actuation of the pawl, and a locking lever for locking said ratchet wheel against movement after it has been moved a certain distance, said locking lever being positioned in the path of movement of said pawl whereby when said pawl is moved in one direction a certain distance said locking lever will be shifted to an inoperative position for permitting a further movement of said ratchet wheel.

G. In a garment counter, a counting lever, a pawl adapted to be moved in one direction by said lever when the lever is functioning to count, said pawl being capable of being moved in the opposite direction by said lever, a counting mechanism including a ratchet wheel positioned to be moved a predetermined distance upon each movement of the pawl in one direction, a notched member connected with said ratchet wheel, and a spring held locking lever formed with a lug adapted to move into said notched member when the ratchet wheel has been moved a predetermined distance, said pawl being adapted to engage and swing said locking lever to an inoperative position when said counting lever has been moved in a reverse direction to the .direction it moves for counting.

7. ln a garment counter, a counting lever' dapted to be swung in one direction for counting and capable of being swung in an opposite direction, a pawl pivotally connected to one end of said lever, a counting mechanism actuated by said pawl, said counting mechanism being formed with means having a notch, a spring held lever' having a lug` positioned to move into said notch when the counting mechanism has been moved by said pawl to a certain position, said locking lever being capable of being moved to an inoperative position when said counting lever has been moved a predetermined distance in a reverse'direction to that moved when counting.

8. A garment counter, comprising a holder, a counting lever pivotally mounted on said holder, a ratchet wheel carried by the holder, a pawl pivotally connected with said counting lever and positioned to engage said ratchet wheel for moving the ratchet wheel the counting lever is moved, a disk rigidly secured to said ratchet wheel, said disk having a notch therein, a locking lever' formed with a lug positioned to slidingly engage the periphery of said disk, a spring acting` on said lever so that when said disk is moved for one revolution said lug will move into said notch and lock the disk and the wheel and associated parts against further operation, said pawl having an extension projecting to a point near said locking lever whereby when said counting lever is moved in one direction, said pawl will engage said locking lever and swing the same away :from said disk While engaging one oi" the teeth of said ratchet Wheel, and spring means 'for restoring said pawl and as- 5 sociated parts to their former position, said springmeans causing said pawl to engage said ratchet Wheel and move the same the distance of one tooth before said locking lever can move back into engagement with said disk whereby the disk, ratchet Wheel and associated parts are unlocked and the device is in position for again functioning'.

JOHN K. VUEHRINGER, JR. ROBERT AUBREY GIBBS, JR. 

